Bismuth — Structural brief

Where bismuth is produced

China is the largest producer of bismuth, at 86.0 percent of the published world total in 2025^[1]. It is followed by Republic of Korea at 6.1 percent, Japan at 3.1 percent and Laos at 3.1 percent. The USGS puts world production at 16,000 metric tons; the sum of the country figures is 16,280 metric tons, the difference being rounding in the published total.^[1]

How concentrated supply is

Measured by the Herfindahl-Hirschman index over production shares, bismuth supply is highly concentrated, with an index of 7,453. The top three producers hold 95.2 percent of output, and a single producer accounts for more than half of supply. An index below 1,500 is conventionally read as unconcentrated and above 2,500 as highly concentrated; the thresholds are the United States merger-review bands, used here as a published reference point rather than as a judgement about market conduct. The United States was 92 percent reliant on net imports for bismuth in 2025, with the principal import sources over 2021–24 being China, Republic of Korea, Germany.^[2] The principal sources of United States imports over 2021–24 were China (56 percent), Republic of Korea (22 percent) and Germany (13 percent)^[3].

Trade measures in force

The USGS compilation of export controls effective January 2026 records one measure bearing on bismuth. China maintains an export licensing requirement for materials and technologies covering Antimony (2024), bismuth (2025), synthesized diamond (2025), gallium (2023), germanium (2023), graphite (2023), indium (2025), magnesium materials (2024), molybdenum (2025), rare earths (2025), silver (2026), tellurium (2025), tungsten (2025), and items related to lithium batteries and artificial graphite anode materials (2025), as compiled by the USGS from official and reported sources effective January 2026.^[4] A control listed here removes the tonnage concerned from the international market by law, whatever the production table implies about availability.

Recent United States official notices

Federal Register documents naming bismuth, most recent first. 2025-11-07: Final 2025 List of Critical Minerals. Critical minerals are essential for national security, economic stability, and supply chain resilience because they underpin key industries, drive technological innovation, and support critical infrastructure vital for a modern American economy. The United States is heavily reliant on imports of certain mineral commodities from foreign sources, some of which are at risk of serious, sustained, and long-term supply chain disruptions.^[5]